Behind Closed Doors
by Apollomon x Stingmon
Summary: They thought Ken Ichijouji had the "perfect life", the perfect family, the perfect friends. But that theory shattered when Takeru finds Ken hurt. Mention of Abuse and Rape
1. Part 1: Rescued

Ken tried everything to be the perfect son his father wanted. He worked hard to please his father. He remained out of his sight, made dinner, did all the chores. He even stopped talking to his friends and never left the house. So what was he doing wrong?

His father always had a temper. It had gotten worse after the death of his mother a year ago. Ken knew his father was grieving and blamed him for what happened. But why was he always mad when he saw him? Why did his father hit him and locked him up in his room until he was weak from hunger? Why did his father take great joy when he cried and begged for forgiveness?

Wormmon said he hadn't done anything wrong and tried to help him by getting food from the Digital World. But wasn't it his fault? He must have been bad to have his father hate him so much. To have him beat him, lock him up without food, and force himself on him when he was angry.

Ken wondered what he did. What did he do? He had asked that one time, but his father had gotten so angry that he pushed him to the ground, teared the clothing right off his back and entered him deep and hard.

Ken shuddered. That was several hours ago and it still hurt. He tried to move, but the pain stopped him. He stared at the glass door and wondered what it was like outside. It had been a year since he last left the house. It had been a year of no soccer, no school, no friends. He had stopped talking to them three months ago. Though that was because his father cut the cable.

Tears filled his eyes from both the pain and the loneliness. He couldn't really remember what the others sounded like. Did they miss him? Were they trying to call him or find him? Did they even care that he was scared and hurt?

Ken muffled his sobs. He didn't want another lesson in silence. Ken took a shaky breath, hoping Wormmon would come back soon. He was so hungry, so thirsty, and so afraid.

He didn't want to believe his father's words. That it was his fault his mother died. That it was his fault his brother died. That he was a killer. That he killed them both and deserved to be punished. His father said he was being merciful, kind even. But he couldn't help but start to believe them.

It was his fault. He made that stupid wish for his brother to disappear. It was his fault that his mother took the bullet for him when the robber started shooting at the people in the store. It was his fault! His father said it was. He should have died! That bullet was meant for him!

He still remembered the blood and her last breath. He still remembered her words. She wanted him to live. She said it wasn't his fault. She would do anything to protect him. But why would she protect him? He was bad. His father said so and beats him repeatedly because of it.

Then he remembered the words of his mother and friends and then he started to doubt. If he was so important to protect, to save, to befriend, then why was he being treated like a prisoner? Why was his father so mean to him? Was his father supposed to protect him too? Or was he simply unneeded space and worthless as his father said?

Ken closed his eyes against the pain and wished Wormmon was here. He wanted his friend to return, but he knew Wormmon went to get medical supplies and food to help him recover. How long had Wormmon been gone? It might have been only two or three hours; he couldn't remember. But it felt like hours to him; hours of pain and sadness and confusion and doubts.

He wanted Wormmon. He wanted his mother. He wanted his friends. He wanted his best friend. He wanted his boyfriend. He wanted to feel safe again. He wanted to not feel pain. He wanted someone to make this nightmare to go away.

We wanted someone to hold him. To tell him that he was safe and that he wouldn't be hurt again. But that would never happen. His friends didn't know what was happening to him. They didn't know that he was hungry and sore and weak half of the time. They didn't know how scared he was to wake up every morning. They lived across the river. How would they know? He was alone and he was scared.

He sighed in relief when he heard Wormmon's voice. His partner was fully capable of opening the portal on his own. Ken had shown him how a long time ago. But whom was Wormmon talking to? Maybe it was another Digimon. That wasn't too odd. It was the Digital World. It was not like there wasn't any Digimon where the TV was.

Ken took a shuddering breath as the computer glowed. He didn't dare open his eyes, though. He was too tired and drained to open them anyway. Maybe he could rest for a while and try to gain his strength. At least then Wormmon would already be done with patching him up.

"Oh, my god! Ken!" Ken groaned as a familiar voice touched his bare chest. _Who is this? This isn't Wormmon._ "Ken! Come on, Ken! Wake up, please!" Ken groaned again. He was being too loud. What if his father heard? Didn't this person know he was not allowed to be here? Did this person want him to get hurt even more?

"Takeru and the others have been worried about you. Please wake up!" A different voice cut through the dark fog in his brain. This one sounded like a Digimon. Was that Patamon? Why was he here? And did he say that the others were worried? _They were worried about me?_

"Ken?" Wormmon spoke in a softer voice. "I know you feel weak and drained right now. But Takeru and Patamon are here to help you. We're going to take you to safety. Please wake up. Please do it...for me."

 _Takeru and Patamon?_ Ken allowed those names to sink in as he finally recalled the names. Wormmon went to get his boyfriend? How in the DigiWorld did he manage to do that? There were a million TVs in the Digital World. How did he know which one?

Despite the questions in his head, Ken couldn't help but feel ashamed. Takeru had to come and rescue him and see him in such a weak state. He had to see his battered and bruised body that was littered with both external and internal injuries. Along with the shame he felt, he also felt happy. Someone had come for him. He was finally not going to be hurt again. His boyfriend was going to help him.

With a weak groan, Ken slowly opened his eyes. It took all of his strength not to close them in exhaustion. Once his eyes were open, Ken saw a blurry figure with blond hair above him. The figure kept coaxing him to wake up until he finally did. When his vision cleared Ken saw Takeru looking at him in worry.


	2. Part 2: Hospital

Takeru was at home, brooding about his boyfriend. He and Ken had a wonderful relationship of four years before Ken's mother died. Takeru had freaked out when he realized that Ken could have been killed when the robber came into the grocery store. He remembered seeing Ken at the hospital. He was a mess from what happened. Takeru had done the best he could to help him, but Ken's father didn't want it. When he came to the hospital, he dragged Ken away the moment he was released. They haven't seen him since.

Ken had tried to stay in contact over the phone, but that stopped too. He was worried for Ken. He had tried many times to call, but it was disconnected. He and Daisuke had tried going over there. But Ken's father always sent them away, saying that Ken was busy or wasn't feeling well. It had even gotten to the point where he didn't want them to ever come back, or he would call the cops. They had stopped visiting directly after that.

Daisuke was stubborn and tried emailing Ken, but his messages never went through. It was as if something was blocking the signal. Needless to say, he was worried. Daisuke had expressed that he had been feeling negative emotions from his bond with Ken. Something was happening to Ken and they couldn't figure out what.

So when a Digital Gate opened up with Wormmon and Patamon on the other side, he was surprised. "Wormmon! Where's Ken? Is he okay? We've been trying for months to get in contact with him!" Takeru's flow of questions stopped when Wormmon gave him an upset look.

Takeru was horrified to learn that Ken was being abused by his father and had just been raped a few hours ago. He immediately emailed Daisuke about what happened. When he was done, he grabbed his D-3 and entered the Digital World.

Once on the other side, he had Patamon digivolve to Angemon, so they can get to Ken's house. Takeru held Wormmon in his arms as he showed them the way to the TV he came from. When they landed, Angemon went back to being Patamon. Takeru looked at the screen and noticed that the room was dark. However, he could make out the prone, naked form of his boyfriend. He had gasped at the sight and asked Wormmon how long has Ken been like that? He admitted that Ken's been like that since he left to find help.

Filled with fear, Takeru opened the gate and the three of them were transported to Ken's room. However, it was a lot worse up close. He had touched Ken's chest and called out his name. Ken only groaned weakly but didn't wake up. He tried again but got no reaction. Patamon tried next to convince Ken to wake up, but he failed as well. He gently pulled Ken into his lap as Wormmon begged him to wake up.

Ken did wake up then. It was slow, but he finally did. Takeru was worried when Ken's eyes looked blank, unfocused, and pained.

"T-Takeru?" Takeru's heart dropped to hear Ken so weak and hoarse.

"Hey," Takeru said as calmly as he could. He had to be strong for his boyfriend's sake.

"You're going to be fine. I'm going to get you somewhere safe, okay. Your father won't be able to touch you anymore, I promise." Ken gave him a small smile, eyes filled with hope.

He smiled at him as Wormmon and Patamon came back with a blanket and a bag with some of Ken's personal things. He assumed it was most likely some clothing, pictures, and other personal effects that were important to him. Takeru gently wrapped Ken in the blanket before attempting to position him into his arms and picking him up.

"It hurts," Ken whimpered when Takeru tried to shift him into his arm.

"I know. I sorry." Takeru tried his best not to jostle any internal injuries. Ken whimpered and buried his face in his chest as pain shot through his trembling body.

Takeru gritted his teeth to hold back his anger as he got a better view of Ken's other injuries. He hoped he didn't see Ken's father anytime soon. He just might send Angemon after him and make him pay for hurting the most beautiful person in the world.

* * *

It was a slow and heartbreaking process to get Ken into his arms and then travel through the Digital Gate to his house, so he could call the police. He had placed Ken on the sofa and dressed him in an oversized, white shirt and a pair of boxers to make him at least look decent when the ambulance arrived. He resisted the urge to give him a warm relaxing bath. He knew the cops needed the evidence on Ken's body to use for their investigation.

When he called the police, the lady on the phone asked a lot of questions about what happened. He told her what happened and how he used the Digital Gate to get Ken to safety. It was probably a good thing that Digimon and the Chosen Children were kinda well known now, so telling their way of transportation was easily accepted by the police. The women had also informed him to not clean him until help arrived. He had asked if he could at least dress him to make him look decent and she accepted it, saying as long as it didn't contaminate the evidence or jostle his injuries, and that the paramedics will be informed by this.

When the paramedics arrived they allowed him and the two Digimon to go with them to the hospital. He had to stay in the waiting room, however, until they were done and allowed him to enter Ken's room. Ken had looked so small and fragile on the white bed.

He swallowed hard and took a seat next to the bed. The two Digimon seated themselves on the bed, while he gingerly held Ken's hand in his. He stayed like that for hours. The others had learned of Ken's condition but were not allowed in the room yet. He was lucky enough to be there since he technically wasn't family and there was still the fact that the police hadn't arrived yet. But the doctor made an exception for him, saying that he was Ken's boyfriend and the person that brought him in, thinking that he was the best person to watch over Ken with his father still out there.

Takeru wasn't sure how long he had been in the hospital. He had probably been there for hours, just sitting there and watch his boyfriend rest as medicine was given to him from the various IVs that was attached to his body. Takeru couldn't help but feel bad and worried for his love, as well as the ongoing guilt that was entering his mind. He should have tried harder to rescue Ken. He should have tried harder to get in contact with him. What kind of Paladin was he if he couldn't protect his angel?

Takeru slumped in his seat as he studied his boyfriend. Ken looked so fragile and thin. The doctor did say he was suffering from starvation and dehydration. He shuddered at that. He couldn't imagine what Ken was feeling. He must have felt so alone and scared.

He sighed and closed his eyes. He shouldn't fall asleep, he told himself. He needed to stay up and be on the lookout for danger. He had to protect Ken. Too bad his body didn't agree with his mind.

* * *

Takeru wasn't sure how long he had been asleep for. But what he did know was that someone was in the room and was trying to wake him up. He groaned when the person wouldn't let-up.

He slowly opened his eyes and stared at the person or should he say, persons. He blinked as two adults' stared at him back. He sat up straight in his chair and glanced at the strangers. What were they doing here?

"Hello, Mr. Takaishi." The female adult had reddish color hair with white highlights, green eyes, and fair skin. She looked to be about five feet, and about a few inches shorter than the male next to her. "I'm Detective Kimura and this is my partner, Detective Mori." Oh, so they were the detectives that he was supposed to talk to. "We wanted to ask you a few questions about what happened to Mr. Ichijouji."

Takeru nodded as the two detectives grabbed some seats and sat across from him. "What you want to know?"

"What is your relationship with the victim?" Detective Mori was a well-built man. He had brown hair and eyes and he had a rough beard. The way the detective held himself made it seem like he was in the military or something.

"Me and Ken have been dating for four years now," Takeru told them truthfully. The detectives wrote that in their notebooks.

"How long have you know each other?" Detective Kimura asked.

"Five years." The detective looked at him to clarify. "It would have been five years, but Ken's father locked him up after his mother's death."

"What do you mean?" Detective Mori's rough voice asked, clearly not like the direction the interview was going.

"About a year ago, Ken and his mother were shopping when this robber came." Detective Kimura had a knowing look like she knew what he was talking about. "The robber started shooting at the people, at least that's what I was told anyway, and Ken's mother took the bullet that was going towards him." Takeru balled the hand that wasn't holding Ken's into a fist. "Ken was a mess. He was in terrible shock."

"I can imagine," Detective Mori said with a frown that showed that he could relate. "Death of a family member is never easy. I'm assuming they were close?"

Takeru nodded. "Yeah, they were." Takeru glanced at his boyfriend with a sad look on his face. "We tried to comfort him, you know? We really did. But, Mr. Ichijouji wouldn't have it." The detectives wrote down what he was saying with disturbed expressions on their faces. "When Ken was released, he was dragged home."

"Did you stay in contact with the victim?" Detective Mori asked when Takeru stopped his story.

"We tried," Takeru took a shaky breath. "We were able to stay in touch for a few months. Ken would tell us that Mr. Ichijouji was taking it hard. He was changing, but Ken never really said much about it. Ken told us that he had to do almost all the chores now, while his father worked. One day Ken told us that his father was getting worse and that he was scared. That was probably when Mr. Ichijouji cut the line."

"Did you go over there, dear?" Detective Kimura asked, her eyes filled with sadness. "I know my daughter goes to her friends' house whenever they needed her."

"We tried. A few times actually. When we couldn't get a hold of him through calls or email, me and my other friend, Daisuke, went to Tamachi. Mr. Ichijouji answered the door every time. Telling us that Ken was either busy, not feeling well, or out." Takeru shook his head sadly at the memory. "We only stopped when Mr. Ichijouji threatened us to stop coming. He said that we weren't welcomed here anymore and that if we tried again he would call the cops."

The two detectives gave each other looks. The story that Mr. Takaishi was telling them was giving them red warning flags of child abuse. "When did this happen, dear?"

"About three months ago. We haven't been able to find a way to get to Ken. We would normally travel to each others house through the Digital World, but the gate to his house was always closed."

"How did you get him out of the house then?" Detective Mori asked, tapping his pen on his notebook.

"Wormmon found Patamon in the Digital World when I sent him ahead. They came back to my computer and told me what happened. I went to the Digital World to travel to Ken's gate; it was open. I saw him on the ground, hurt and bleeding from when his father raped him." Takeru blinked his eyes to fight against the tears; the image of his boyfriend's prone form still flashing in his mind. "I-I should have gotten there sooner. He shouldn't have gone through that alone."

"Dear, there was nothing you could have down," Detective Kimura said sternly. "You were in a very difficult situation."

"You could have called the cops," Detective Mori informed him. "But from your story, we would have needed a warrant to search his home if he was locked up."

"You tried…that's all that matters." She smiled at him. "You're right that he shouldn't have gone through that, but he's safe now. So don't blame yourself."

Takeru smiled at the detectives in gratitude. "Thanks, I guess I needed to hear that. Is there anything else you need to know?"

"No," Detective Mori said as they both got up. "We got everything we need for now." Detective Mori put his notebook in his jacket pocket. In the same pocket, he took out a card and gave it to him. "This my card. Call me if you can remember anything else."

Takeru took the card. "I will, thank you." The two detectives said their goodbyes and left. Takeru was left alone in the room again until a Child Social Worker came into the room a few hours later.


	3. Part 3: Foster Care and Adoption

After the whole ordeal, his father was arrested and lost custody of him. Ken was sent to a nice foster family in Odaiba and was eventually adopted by them.

Ken was scared at first. He had recurring nightmares from his abuse and rape, which led to him, unknowingly, begging for them not to hurt him anymore and that he would be good.

His new parents helped him whenever they could, even when he was afraid of them. They were patient and upset that this had happened to him. They often showered him with love and protection. After a few months, he had felt safe, despite the nightmares. And had started to connect with his new parents.

The Anzai's were a loving couple and always wanted a child to call their own. Fuyu Anzai couldn't conceive at all and was thrilled when they were picked to foster him. They were greatly angered about what his father did. Fuyu constantly worried about his mental health and constantly had him go to therapy, along with her showering her love for him.

Ken was nervous the first couple of months. When he was with them they often asked him what he wanted to do and what he wanted to eat. Ken found this nerve-racking since she reminded him of his dead mother. He questioned why they were insisting on giving him so much food throughout the day. He hadn't done anything to deserve it. This, of course, upset them; Ken only thought this way because of his harsh treatment. The Anzai's told him that he deserved everything and refused to think otherwise.

Ken learned to not argue with his 'mother'. He actually enjoyed being with her and it started to show in his interaction with them. Though, he figured Fuyu was most happy when she saw that the food and medicine were helping him. He was starting to fill up a bit and in their minds, they were battling his year of suffering and winning.

When it came to his father, Nobuo Anzai, well that was a different matter altogether. It had taken Ken nearly ten months to finally warm up to him. Ken constantly feared that Nobuo was going to hurt him. He feared that Nobuo was going to hit him or lock him up, or turn out doing exactly what his actual father had done to him to make him feel small.

Nobuo was heartbroken when Ken unknowingly cowers from him out of reflex but didn't let it stop him to try and help. Nobuo didn't stop talking to him, or trying to get Ken to play some games (like soccer), or watching TV with him. He was always there for Ken and wanted Ken to know that.

Whenever Ken screamed in the middle of the night, he tended to cling to his mother in fear. Nobuo tried to comfort him as well; Ken, however, was just not really ready for that just yet. Ken would, again, cower away from him and only allow Nobuo to whisper words of reassurance to him and maybe the occasional running of gentle fingers through his hair in a sigh of comfort.

Nobuo was often hurt when Ken didn't seem to trust him (or to be more accurate, afraid of him) whenever they saw each other or within touching distance. As the months went on, Ken would watch him from a safe distance. And maybe come to his office to give him his lunch when Fuyu was busy. Ken would sometimes stay next to him when he painted or did work around the house.

This made Nobuo smile. He knew being abused and raped would leave scars, but Ken was improving a lot better than they hoped. He was smiling more, much to theirs and Wormmon's relief. Even his friends seemed to be happy, especially Ken's boyfriend and best friend, who come to the house quite often.

Nobuo remembered when Ken finally opened up more to him. Nobuo was putting the finishing touches on the piano that he was fixing when he noticed that Ken was still watching him and hadn't returned to his room to play with Wormmon. He had smiled gently at him and asked if he wanted to play on it. Ken had looked at him in uncertainty, as if he was trying to trick him, but pushed it aside when he was asked to play. Ken was excited by this and sat next to him on the piano bench.

Nobuo had given Ken some music sheets and told him to pick any song he liked. Ken had, surprisingly, picked one of the hardest pieces they had: _Beethoven Sonata 29, Op. 106, "Hammerklavier"_.

Nobuo watched as Ken's eyes brighten and placed that one on the sheet rack. Nobuo watched in silence as Ken closed his eyes and began to play the piece, flawlessly. Nobuo was stunned for a moment before he smiled softly. Sometimes he and Fuyu forgot that Ken was a child prodigy. But at that moment, it felt as if it was just to two of them.

Ken was in complete peace as he played the piano. It made him wonder sometimes what he and his wife did to get such a wonderful child into their family. And then the answer came to him. They didn't do anything. But they loved the child with all his fears and all, and that was enough for them.

They both sat there in complete silence even after Ken finished the piece. Nobuo watched with a soft smile as Ken continued to sit there with him. This was definitely an improvement.

"Where you learned to play like that?" Nobuo asked into the comforting silence.

"My mom taught me when I was little," Ken said softly. "She stopped showing me after awhile when my brother died, but I continued on my own. After we got through some family issues," Nobuo knew Ken must have been referring to his Kaiser days. He didn't approve of his parent's actions, and didn't blame Ken for what happened, but he knew this was a sensitive subject. So he didn't push it. "My mom got involved with my lessons again. She was upset that she hadn't helped me with my lessons before, but tried to make up for it." Ken laughed softly. "She was surprised how advance I was in my playing. I was already able to be some pretty hard pieces."

"She must have been proud," Nobuo said with a smile as he played a note on the piano.

"She was," Ken told him. "She wanted to sign me up for this piano competition," he said sheepishly.

"Did she?" Nobuo asked interestedly.

"Yeah," he said timidly. "Two years, actually."

"Amazing," Nobuo breathed. Nobuo looked at _his_ son with a proud smile, filled with affection. But his smile soon faltered when he saw Ken's eyes beginning to moist. "Son?" Nobuo asked in concern. "Are you okay?" Nobuo placed his hand on the square of Ken's back. He was glad when Ken didn't shy away from him when he started to rub his back in reassurance.

"I miss mama," he said with a sniffle. Nobuo smiled sadly. He knew that he and his wife could never really replace Ken's parents. But they could at least give Ken a fresh start, one where he was loved and protected.

"I know you do." Ken looked at him with tearful eyes. "You have been through so much over the years." He gently reached up to wipe away a tear that started to fall. He was instantly glad that Ken didn't flinch or shy away from him. "I'm sure those are bond to leave some very damaging scars. I understand, son." He smiled in relief as Ken leans into his touch without the slightest hint of fear. "You will always have this pain and sadness for your birth mother, as well as the fear for your father. But…" He took a shuddering breath, his own emotions catching up to him. "I know this must be hard." Ken looked at him. "Losing your parents, being forced to live with strangers. That's a lot of changes after the various traumas you've been through."

"But?" Ken asked, knowing there was a 'but' somewhere.

"But, we love you."

"I know," Ken interrupted with a shy smile.

"Let me finishing," he said in a stern but soft voice. He didn't want to scare the child in his fragile state. "Me and Fuyu adore you. We would never ever harm you. I know we can't replace the relationship you had with your parents, especially your mother. We just want to help you heal, we want to be a part of your life and we want you to be a part of ours. You know Fuyu can't have a child, right?"

Ken nodded sadly. "Yeah, she said she could never have one."

"The truth is that we always wanted a child to love and cherish," Nobuo said as he recalled other children that were put into their care. "That's why we became foster parents. We could at least take care of a child until they are placed into a permanent home or returned to their parents." Ken looked sad at that. "We had a few before you, and each time, we were heartbroken when they were taken away. We have no say-so in this and it's sad but true."

"And me?" Ken asked timidly.

Nobuo smiled brightly. "You are our miracle." Ken's eyes widen in shock.

"M-me? But…I…" Ken stammered with more tears in his eyes.

Nobuo shushed him as he wiped away the tears. He knew this was hard for Ken to digest. "Tell me truthfully," Nobuo said as he tucked a loose strand of hair around Ken's ear. "Do you enjoy living with us?"

"Yes."

"Have we ever harmed you in any way, to make you afraid of us?"

Ken's eyes widen as he shook his head vigorously. "No! You have been nothing but kind to me!"

Nobuo smiled in relief, but he knew the next question would be very hard for Ken. "Are you afraid of me?"

Nobuo watched as Ken swallowed nervously. He didn't answer right away like he did before. He fidgeted slightly, but didn't pull away, or at least was forcing himself not to. Ken was trying so hard, he realized gravely. But he couldn't back out now, he needed to know so he could at least find common ground to strengthen their relationship.

"I…um…I…" Ken closed his eyes as he struggled to find the right words to say. Nobuo knew Ken was fighting against painful memories of his past. Nobuo didn't have the heart to interrupt him. He knew Ken had to sort them out on his own, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He very much wanted to pull the child into a huge hug and shield him from those painful memories. "I'm sorry."

Nobuo furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What…? Ken, you don't have to be sorry about anything. You didn't do anything wrong."

Ken shook his head as more tears fell. "I'm sorry…I…I…I'm not afraid of you," he sobbed. Nobuo was relieved, but he knew there was more. But he hated seeing his son so upset. "You haven't done anything to me. I know that, but…" He took a shuddering breath. "When I see you, I see my father. He wasn't mean at first. Sure he pressured me to be a genius, like my brother, but I knew he loved me." He sniffled. "But he changed after mama died." Ken turned his head towards the piano, turning away from Nobuo in shame. "I guess I'm just afraid. Afraid that you will turn on me and hate me too, after I let you in." Ken let out a soft sob. "I'm sorry. I know it's a silly reason, but I can't help it. I keep getting these fears whenever you try to get close to me…I just react."

Nobuo let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He had a feeling this was the reason why Ken seemed to be fine with him one minute and nervous or down right afraid of him the next. There were still scars left to heal, he knew that. He knew this stuff would take time to heal, but he be damned if he would let that stop him from trying to connect to his foster son and hopefully soon to be adopted son if Ken wanted to continue living with them that is.

"Ken," Nobuo gently rested his fingers under Ken's chin and slowly moves it so Ken was facing him again. The small flinch in response did not go unnoticed to him. "You have nothing to be sorry about. You've been through so many traumas that it's understandable for you to react the way you do. Your mind is just trying to protect you from a potential threat. I, unfortunately, happen to fit your main fear's criteria."

A flick of guilt flashed in Ken's orbs. "But that's not your fault. It will take time. You must understand that. We are not going to push you. If you need space, we will give it to you. If you want to cling to either Fuya or me, you are more then welcome to. We don't mind, really." This got a smile out of Ken. "We love you so much. We want to make you happy, and to make you feel safe, no matter how long it takes."

Ken's smile widened in a shy manner as Nobuo took a packet of tissues out of this pocket. Nobuo chuckled to himself as Ken eyed the packet of tissues questionably. "You, child, are just as emotional as my darling wife." Ken pouted at this.

"Is that bad?" Ken asked as Nobuo began to wipe away the tears with a tissue.

"No," Nobuo said as the corner of his lips went up a bit into a fond smile. "I find it as wonderful quality to have. Besides," Nobuo's heart warmed at the various occasions he shared with his lovely wife, hence why he carries tissues around wherever he goes. "It gives me a reason to carry these around, hmm?"

Ken giggled in response, feeling some of the fears he had about Nobuo sliding off his shoulders. Nobuo continued to smile at his son. Never would he ever thought that Ken would allow him to get this close to him this soon. He knew they would have to talk about this eventually. Well, he guessed he couldn't really prepare for this, even if he wanted to.

"Do you want to hear one of my favorite pieces?" He asked, getting the child's attention. He smiled as he started looking for his favorite piece.

"Für Elise," Ken said with a smile. Nobuo smiled as he placed the music sheet on the piano stand. His own mother taught him how to play, but unlike Ken's mother, his mother died before he became the age of ten. This was his mother's favorite, so naturally, he dedicated himself to master it to the best of his ability; if not for him, then for his mom.

Ken moved closer to him, closing his eyes as he did so while listening to Nobuo as he played the first few notes. As he played he felt Ken's warm body against his. Ken didn't tense up or back away in fear. He just sat there, listening to the beautiful notes floating around them. Nobuo realized with a peaceful smile that this piece not only reflected his determination to make his mom proud. If also represented his determination to connect with his foster son, to make him feel safe and loved.

As he continued playing, allowing the peaceful medley surround them. He barely noticed his wife and Wormmon coming to check up on them. He barely noticed her warm smile or Wormmon excited one. All he noticed was _his_ son's peaceful expression. From that day on they grew closer and closer.

Ken had been put up for adoption two months later and they immediately took the plunge to adopt him. Ken was surprised and relieve when the papers got finalized, making them officially Ken's parents. Takeru and Daisuke were excited and surprised Ken with a small party with them and the other Chosen Children in their group. Nobuo and Fuyu were more than happy to talk to the other parents as the children had their fun with their Digimon.

Nobuo and Fuyu took great pleasure in raising Ken. He was a huge part of their lives and completed them in a way. They weren't bothered in the slightest when Takeru came to take Ken out on a date a month later. They encourage it and wished Ken to have a fun time.

As time went on Ken finally let Nobuo to be close to him. He never ruined that gift and was grateful that Ken finally trusted him and spent time with him without fear. It might have taken a few years, but it was worth it in the end.


End file.
